Furnishing the rebirth of Iraq

A BOLTON furniture firm is helping in the effort to rebuild war-torn Iraq. Furnitureinfashion.net has won a number of orders in the Middle Eastern country to supply hotels and local government offices with its range of furniture and office equipment.

A BOLTON furniture firm is helping in the effort to rebuild war-torn Iraq.

Furnitureinfashion.net has won a number of orders in the Middle Eastern country to supply hotels and local government offices with its range of furniture and office equipment.

The company was set up by entrepreneur Asad Shamim in 2006 as a spin-off of his wholesale business, World of Fashion.

After graduating in 1996, Asad spent a number of years working for an importer and distributor of furniture and clothing.

In 2001, he set up his first venture and, after recognising the potential of the internet, launched Furnitureinfashion .net five years later.

Today the company, which has a turnover of £2m and employs 18 people, boasts the likes of ITV, BBC, Google UK and Selfridges as customers.

It supplies everything from wall art, umbrella stands and room dividers to computer tables, bar stools and bedroom furniture which are sourced from around the world.

Furnitureinfashion.net is also the UK's biggest supplier of shoe cabinets and has its own manufacturing facility in Germany where it makes office equipment.

Asad says that effective search engine optimisation has been key to the success of his online venture, and helped secure the potentially lucrative contracts in Iraq.

He says: "We have excellent rankings on Google and if someone types in dining room chairs, our company will be on the first page which means you can do serious business.

"It was through the internet that the authorities in Iraq got in contact with us via a UK agent."

Since then, the company has completed a £60,000 contract to supply the Al Najaf International Hotel in Baghdad and has a further £120,000 order to ship office furniture to the Iraqi education authority.

Asad said he is confident of winning further business.

He said: "The hotel contract was our first international order, and we are now a recognised furniture supplier to the Iraq authorities.

"There is a huge amount of rebuilding work going on and we are now in an excellent position to capitalise on this growth."